It is well known that devices having a sharp cutting edge must be packaged in a manner which protects the edge. A need exists for a package which protects the sharp cutting edge of a surgical instrument, particularly a bone saw.
Bone saws must remain sterile until just prior to use. They must also be free of contaminating materials such as flecking from packaging material such as plastic, foam and sponge. Because it is desirable to provide a single package which can be used for various sized devices, there may be some room for movement of relatively small devices in the package. A smaller bone saw may shift within a relatively larger package and it is possible for the sharp cutting edge of the saw to impact a portion of the package, for example, an inner side wall.
The sharp cutting edge of a bone saw such as the one shown in FIG. 1 has a plurality of teeth in a row which alternately extend in opposite directions laterally of the plane of the saw blade. The design provides a saw which can readily scrape flecking from the surface of plastic packaging it impacts. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one particularly common plastic used to mold packages for a huge variety of devices and objects but which can fleck-off when impacted by a sharp cutting edge.
When devices having sharp cutting edges are packaged, foam and sponge materials are also often used and may act to snugly bias the device within the package. Although the sponge and foam materials can cushion the impact of a sharp cutting edge, these types of conventional packing materials can also fleck-off when impacted by a sharp cutting edge, resulting in contaminating particles. When sterile devices are packaged, it is particularly important to provide a cushioning material which will not fleck upon impact with a sharp cutting edge.